Nanocomposites and their application as monolith columns

ABSTRACT

Novel materials for chromatographic separations, processes for their preparation, and separation devices containing the chromatographic materials. In particular, hybrid inorganic/organic monolith materials comprising a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite contains a scaffolding functionality capable of chemically interacting with a surface of a second material are described. The hybrid inorganic/organic materials have enhanced wall adhesion and increased resistance to shrinkage as compared to prior art monolith materials. The improved adhesion of the monoliths enable the preparation of capillary columns with an internal diameter (I.D.) ≥50 μm.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/275,250, filed on May 12, 2014, now U.S. Pat.No. 9,289,747, which application is a Divisional application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/558,541, filed Feb. 15, 2007, whichapplication is the U.S. national phase, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 371 ofPCT/US2004/013721, filed May 3, 2004, which was published in English asWO2004/105910 A2 on Dec. 9, 2004 and which claims the benefit of U.S.provisional application Ser. No. 60/474,068, filed May 28, 2003, thedisclosure of each of which applications are incorporated in theirentireties by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Packing materials for liquid chromatography (LC) are generallyclassified into two types: organic materials, e.g., polydivinylbenzene;and inorganic materials typified by silica. Many organic materials arechemically stable against strongly alkaline and strongly acidic mobilephases, allowing flexibility in the choice of mobile phase pH. However,organic chromatographic materials generally result in columns with lowefficiency, leading to inadequate separation performance, particularlywith low molecular-weight analytes. Furthermore, many organicchromatographic materials shrink and swell when the composition of themobile phase is changed. In addition, most organic chromatographicmaterials do not have the mechanical strength of typical chromatographicsilicas.

Due in large part to these limitations, silica is the material mostwidely used in High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The mostcommon applications employ silica that has been surface-derivatized withan organic group such as octadecyl (C₁₈), octyl (C₈), phenyl, amino,cyano, etc. As stationary phases for HPLC, these packing materialsresult in columns that have high efficiency and do not show evidence ofshrinking or swelling.

However, a further problem associated with silica particles and polymerparticles is packed bed stability. Chromatography columns packed withspherical particles can be considered to be random close packed latticesin which the interstices between the particles form a continuous networkfrom the column inlet to the column outlet. This network forms theinterstitial volume of the packed bed, and acts as a conduit for fluidto flow through the packed column. In order to achieve maximum packedbed stability, the particles must be tightly packed, and hence, theinterstitial volume is limited in the column. As a result, such tightlypacked columns afford high column backpressures that are not desirable.Moreover, bed stability problems for these chromatography columns arestill typically observed because of particle rearrangements.

A trend in current HPLC development is the miniaturization of columndiameters that is driven by the often limited amount of samplesoriginating from such areas as the life sciences. For mini- andmicrobore columns as well as capillary columns, the trade-off betweenparticle size and backpressure becomes even more pronounced. Forexample, MacNair et al.⁽¹⁾ required specifically designed hardware thatenabled an operating pressure as high as 500 MPa in order to achieve aHPLC separation of a tryptic digest in a 25 cm long capillary columnpacked with 1 μm silica particles. The pressure is one order ofmagnitude higher than the typical 40 MPa limitation of a commercial HPLCsystem.

In an attempt to overcome the combined problems of packed bed stabilityand high efficiency separations at low backpressures and high flowrates, several groups have reported the use of monolith materials inchromatographic separations. Monolith materials are characterized by acontinuous, interconnected pore structure of large macropores, the sizeof which can be changed independent of the skeleton size without causingbed instability. The presence of large macropores allows liquid to flowdirectly through with very little resistance resulting in very lowbackpressures even at high flow rates.

Monolith columns have been designed to disobey the trade-off ruleassociated with packed particle beds. Theoretically, they can exhibitcombined properties of low backpressure and high efficiency that gobeyond the limits of packed particle columns in pressure-driven liquidchromatography. Capillary monolith columns comprising polymeric,inorganic silica and organic-inorganic hybrid materials have beenstudied and reported in the literature.^((2, 3)) The polymeric monolithsare made primarily via a radical polymerization of methacrylate orstyrene-divinylbenzene (DVB) monomers and are used under electroosmoticflow in electrochromatography applications and low pressure pump drivenapplications because of their limited mechanical strength under highpressure.

Silica monoliths have also been applied in HPLC separations by Nakanishiet al.⁽³⁾ and have demonstrated an efficiency similar to 5 μm particlesbut with permeability 25-30 times higher. However, due to the shrinkageof the silica skeleton, silica capillaries with an I.D. larger than 50μm showed much lower efficiency, and in all cases 5-15% of the length ofeach capillary end had to be cut off to remove large voids caused byshrinkage that formed between the monolith and capillary wall before thecapillary could be used.

In another publication, Nakanishi et al.⁽⁴⁾ demonstrated the possibilityof making a capillary column of 200 μm internal diameter (I.D.) from amixture of tetramethoxysilane and methyltrimethoxysilane. However, thesehybrid-type silica monoliths capillaries still had large voids caused byshrinkage that formed between the monolith and capillary wall andrequired cutting of 5-15% of the length of each capillary end beforeuse. The hybrid-type silica monolith also had a three-fold increase inseparation impedance versus the analogous silica monolith column of 50μm I.D.

Polymeric capillary monolith columns prepared by a UV polymerization of(3-methacryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane were first reported by Zare etal. in 2001.⁽⁵⁾ The elution order of the Zare column is similar to thatof a reversed-phase column where larger molecular weight or morehydrophobic analytes elute later than the smaller molecular weight ormore hydrophilic analytes, indicating that the polymerizedmethylacrylate groups are located on the surface of the monolithstructure. Although Zare's work has been successfully applied inelectrochromatography, poor column efficiency, poor adhesion between thecapillary wall and the monolith structure, and inhomogeneity of themonolith structure were observed in pressure driven separations.⁽⁶⁾Moreover, as a consequence of the utilization of photopolymerizationrather than thermal polymerization, the polyimide coating of the glasscapillary must be removed prior to use. This unprotected fused silicatubing becomes very fragile and is easily broken. Therefore, onlycolumns with a limited length can be prepared by this method.

Current monolith columns have significant shrinkage, resulting in poorwall adhesion, and consequently, only columns with an I.D. of less than150 μm have been prepared. Therefore, a need exists for novel materialsthat overcome the problems that are associated with known materials. Inparticular, there is a need for monolith materials with increasedresistance to shrinkage and enhanced wall adhesion that can be used toprepare chromatographic columns with an I.D. of 150 μm and greater.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides novel hybrid inorganic/organic materialsand methods for their, preparation. In particular, the inventionprovides nanocomposite monolith materials having increased resistance toshrinkage and novel physical characteristics. The nanocomposites of theinvention have enhanced capillary wall adhesion as compared to prior artmonolith materials. The improved adhesion of the monoliths of theinvention enables the preparation of capillary columns with an internaldiameter (I.D.) ≥150 μm.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention provides a hybridinorganic/organic material comprising a polymerized scaffoldingnanocomposite (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite contains a scaffoldingfunctionality capable of chemically interacting with a surface of asecond material.

In another aspect, the invention provides a hybrid inorganic/organicmonolith comprising a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN),wherein the nanocomposite contains a scaffolding functionality capableof chemically interacting with a surface of a second material.

Additionally, the present invention provides a method of preparation ofa hybrid inorganic/organic monolith comprising a polymerized scaffoldingnanocomposite (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite contains a scaffoldingfunctionality capable of chemically interacting with a surface of asecond material, said method comprising the steps of

-   -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction; and    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sol-gel (PSG) reaction,        thereby preparing the hybrid inorganic/organic monolith.

In a related aspect, the invention provides a method of preparation of ahybrid inorganic/organic monolith comprising a polymerized scaffoldingnanocomposite (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite contains a scaffoldingfunctionality capable of chemically interacting with a surface of asecond material, said method comprising the steps of

-   -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction;    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sol-gel (PSG) reaction; and    -   d) modifying the pore structure of the material,        thereby preparing the hybrid inorganic/organic monolith.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides a separations devicecomprising

-   -   a) a surface capable of accepting a monolith material comprising        a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN) material, said        surface comprising an anchoring functionality and    -   b) a hybrid inorganic/organic monolith comprising a polymerized        scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite        contains a scaffolding functionality capable of chemically        interacting with the anchoring functionality on said surface,        and wherein said hybrid organic/inorganic monolith is anchored        to said surface by a chemical interaction between said        scaffolding functionality and anchoring functionality.

In a related aspect, the invention provides a fused-silica capillarycolumn, comprising

-   -   a) a fused-silica capillary column having a cylindrical interior        surface capable of accepting a monolith comprising a polymerized        scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN) material, said interior surface        comprising an anchoring functionality, and    -   b) a hybrid inorganic/organic monolith comprising a polymerized        scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite        contains a scaffolding functionality capable of chemically        interacting with the anchoring functionality on said surface,        and wherein said hybrid organic/inorganic monolith is anchored        to said surface by a chemical interaction between said        scaffolding functionality and anchoring functionality.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of in situ preparationof a hybrid inorganic/organic monolith in a fused-silica capillarycolumn, said method comprising:

-   -   forming an anchoring functionality on an interior surface of        said capillary column; and    -   forming inside said capillary column a hybrid inorganic/organic        monolith comprising a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite        (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite contains a scaffolding        functionality capable of chemically interacting with the        anchoring functionality on said surface, said monolith being        formed by:    -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction; and

c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization sol-gel (PSG)reaction;

whereby said scaffolding functionality and said anchoring functionalitychemically interact to thereby anchor said monolith to said surface,such that a hybrid inorganic/organic monolith is prepared in situ in afused-silica capillary column.

In another related aspect, the invention provides a method of in situpreparation of a hybrid inorganic/organic monolith in a fused-silicacapillary column, said method comprising:

-   -   forming an anchoring functionality on an interior surface of        said capillary column; and    -   forming inside said capillary column a hybrid inorganic/organic        monolith comprising a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite        (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite contains a scaffolding        functionality capable of chemically interacting with the        anchoring functionality on said surface, said monolith being        formed by:    -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction;    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sol-gel (PSG) reaction; and    -   d) modifying the pore structure of the monolith,        whereby said scaffolding functionality and said anchoring        functionality chemically interact to thereby anchor said        monolith to said surface, such that a hybrid inorganic/organic        monolith is prepared in situ in a fused-silica capillary column.

Another aspect of the invention provides an inorganic/organic hybridmonolith comprising a scaffolding functionality capable of chemicallyinteracting with a surface of a second material, produced by the processof

-   -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction; and    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sol-gel (PSG) reaction.

In a related aspect, the invention provides an inorganic/organic hybridmonolith comprising a scaffolding functionality capable of chemicallyinteracting with a surface of a second material, produced by the processof

-   -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction;    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sol-gel (PSG) reaction; and    -   d) modifying the pore structure of the monolith.

In yet another related aspect, the invention provides a method ofpreparation of a hybrid inorganic/organic material comprising apolymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN), comprising the steps of

-   -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction; and    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sot-gel (PSG) reaction,        thereby preparing the hybrid inorganic/organic monolith, wherein        the monolith contains a scaffolding functionality capable of        chemically interacting with a surface of a second material.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of preparation of ahybrid inorganic/organic material comprising a polymerized scaffoldingnanocomposite (PSN), comprising the steps of

-   -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction;    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sol-gel (PSG) reaction; and    -   d) modifying the pore structure of the material,        thereby preparing the hybrid inorganic/organic material, wherein        the nanocomposite contains a scaffolding functionality capable        of chemically interacting with a surface of a second material.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides a capillary column, whereinthe interior surface of the capillary column is derivatized with apolymerizable anchoring functionality.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1D depict a schematic representation of monoliths made by thepolymerization sol gel (PSG) reaction. FIG. 1A depicts examples ofhybrid and inorganic monomers in chemical structure and schematic form.FIG. 1B is a schematic depiction of hybrid and inorganic monomerhydrolysis and oligomerization. Figure C is a simplified depiction ofthe PSG reaction to form a cross-sectional block of polymerizedscaffolding nanocomposite material. Figure D is a simplifiedcross-sectional view of the PSN material, including expanding views ofthe PSN material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides novel hybrid inorganic/organic materials,and methods for their preparation. In particular, the invention providesnanocomposite monolith materials having increased resistance toshrinkage and novel physical characteristics. The nanocomposites of theinvention have enhanced capillary wall adhesion, as compared to priorart monolith materials. The improved adhesion of the monoliths of theinvention enables the preparation of capillary columns with an internaldiameter (I.D.) ≥150 μm.

In an advantageous embodiment, the invention provides novel,inorganic/organic monolith materials inside a fused silica capillarycolumn. In accordance with this embodiment, the monoliths of theinvention are prepared in situ inside a surface-modified fused silicacapillary column through simultaneous organic polymerization and sol-gelreaction of a silane mixture that has an organosilane monomer containingat least one organic polymerizable group, such as, e.g.,(3-methacryloxyproply)trimethoxysilane.

Definitions

These and other embodiments of the invention will be described withreference to following definitions that, for convenience, are collectedhere.

The term “alicyclic group” includes closed ring structures of three ormore carbon atoms. Alicyclic groups include cycloparaffins or naphthenesthat are saturated cyclic hydrocarbons, cycloolefins which areunsaturated with two or more double bonds, and cycloacetylenes whichhave a triple bond. They do not include aromatic groups. Examples ofcycloparaffins include cyclopropane, cyclohexane, and cyclopentane.Examples of cycloolefins include cyclopentadiene and cyclooctatetraene.Alicyclic groups also include fused ring structures and substitutedalicyclic groups such as alkyl substituted alicyclic groups. In theinstance of the alicyclics such substituents can further comprise alower alkyl, a lower alkenyl, a lower alkoxy, a lower alkylthio, a loweralkylamino, a lower alkylcarboxyl, a nitro, a hydroxyl, —CF₃, —CN, orthe like.

The term “aliphatic group” includes organic compounds characterized bystraight or branched chains, typically having between 1 and 22 carbonatoms. Aliphatic groups include alkyl groups, alkenyl groups and alkynylgroups. In complex structures, the chains can be branched orcross-linked. Alkyl groups include saturated hydrocarbons having one ormore carbon atoms, including straight-chain alkyl groups andbranched-chain alkyl groups. Such hydrocarbon moieties may besubstituted on one or more carbons with, for example, a halogen, ahydroxyl, a thiol, an amino, an alkoxy, an alkylcarboxy, an alkylthio,or a nitro group. Unless the number of carbons is otherwise specified,“lower aliphatic” as used herein means an aliphatic group, as definedabove (e.g., lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, lower alkynyl), but having fromone to six carbon atoms. Representative of such lower aliphatic groups,e.g., lower alkyl groups, are methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl,2-chloropropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl, 2-aminobutyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl,3-thiopentyl, and the like. As used herein, the term “nitro” means —NO₂;the term “halogen” designates —Cl, —Br or —I; the term “thiol” means SH;and the term “hydroxyl” means —OH.

The terms “alkenyl” and “alkynyl” refer to unsaturated aliphatic groupsanalogous to alkyls, but which contain at least one double or triplebond respectively. Suitable alkenyl and alkynyl groups include groupshaving 2 to about 12 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to about 6 carbonatoms.

The term “alkoxy” as used herein means an alkyl group, as definedherein, having an oxygen atom attached thereto. Representative alkoxygroups include groups having 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, preferably 1 toabout 6 carbon atoms, e.g., methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, tert-butoxy andthe like.

The term “alkyl” includes saturated aliphatic groups, includingstraight-chain alkyl groups, branched-chain alkyl groups, cycloalkyl(alicyclic) groups, alkyl substituted cycloalkyl groups, and cycloalkylsubstituted alkyl groups. In certain embodiments, a straight chain orbranched chain alkyl has 30 or fewer carbon atoms in its backbone, e.g.,C₁-C₃₀ for straight chain or C₃-C₃₀ for branched chain. In certainembodiments, a straight chain or branched chain alkyl has 20 or fewercarbon atoms in its backbone, e.g., C₁-C₂₀ for straight chain or C₃-C₂₀for branched chain, and more preferably 18 or fewer. Likewise, preferredcycloalkyls have from 4-10 carbon atoms in their ring structure, andmore preferably have 4-7 carbon atoms in the ring structure. The term“lower alkyl” refers to alkyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbons in thechain, and to cycloalkyls having from 3 to 6 carbons in the ringstructure.

Moreover, the term “alkyl” (including “lower alkyl”) as used throughoutthe specification and claims includes both “unsubstituted alkyls” and“substituted alkyls”, the latter of which refers to alkyl moietieshaving substituents replacing a hydrogen on one or more carbons of thehydrocarbon backbone. Such substituents can include, for example,halogen, hydroxyl, alkylcarbonyloxy, arylcarbonyloxy, alkoxycarbonyloxy,aryloxycarbonyloxy, carboxylate, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl,aminocarbonyl, alkylthiocarbonyl, alkoxyl, phosphate, phosphonato,phosphinato, cyano, amino (including alkyl amino, dialkylamino,arylamino, diarylamino, and alkylarylamino), acylamino (includingalkylcarbonylamino, arylcarbonylamino, carbamoyl and ureido), amidino,imino, sulfhydryl, alkylthio, arylthio, thiocarboxylate, sulfate,sulfonato, sulfamoyl, sulfonamido, nitro, trifluoromethyl, cyano, azido,heterocyclyl, aralkyl, or an aromatic or heteroaromatic moiety. It willbe understood by those skilled in the art that the moieties substitutedon the hydrocarbon chain can themselves be substituted, if appropriate.Cycloalkyls can be further substituted, e.g., with the substituentsdescribed above. An “aralkyl” moiety is an alkyl substituted with anaryl, e.g., having 1 to 3 separate or fused rings and from 6 to about 18carbon ring atoms, e.g., phenylmethyl (benzyl).

The term “alkylamino” as used herein means an alkyl group, as definedherein, having an amino group attached thereto. Exemplary alkylaminogroups include groups having 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, preferably from1 to about 6 carbon atoms.

The term “alkylthio” refers to an alkyl group, as defined herein, havinga sulfhydryl group attached thereto. Exemplary alkylthio groups includegroups having 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, preferably from 1 to about 6carbon atoms. The term “alkylcarboxyl” as used herein means an alkylgroup, as defined above, having a carboxyl group attached thereto. Theterm “amino,” as used herein, refers to an unsubstituted or substitutedmoiety of the formula —NR_(a)R_(b), in which R_(a) and R_(b) are eachindependently hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, or heterocyclyl, or R_(a) andR_(b), taken together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached,form a cyclic moiety having from 3 to 8 atoms in the ring. Thus, theterm “amino” includes cyclic amino moieties such as piperidinyl orpyrrolidinyl groups, unless otherwise stated. An “amino-substitutedamino group” refers to art amino group in which at least one of R_(a)and R_(b), is further substituted with an amino group.

The language “anchoring functionality” is intended to include functionalmoieties that promote the ability of the second material to chemicallyinteract with the PSN material. In certain embodiments, the anchoringfunctionality is a polymerizable group, including, but not limited tovinyl, acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, styrene,divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, alkyne, azo compounds, andcombinations thereof.

The term “anchoring” refers to the act of adhesion of one material to asecond material. The extent of adhesion is a direct result of thechemical interaction of the first material with the second material, andis intended to include a range of interactions which extend fromflexible interactions to strict immobilization.

The term “aromatic group” includes unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbonscontaining one or more rings. Aromatic groups include 5- and 6-memberedsingle-ring groups which may include from zero to four heteroatoms, forexample, benzene, pyrrole, furan, thiophene, imidazole, oxazole,thiazole, triazole, pyrazole, pyridine, pyrazine, pyridazine andpyrimidine, and the like. The aromatic ring may be substituted at one ormore ring positions with, for example, a halogen, a lower alkyl, a loweralkenyl, a lower alkoxy, a lower alkylthio, a lower alkylamino, a loweralkylcarboxyl, a nitro, a hydroxyl, —CF₃, —CN, or the like.

The term “aryl” includes 5- and 6-membered single-ring aromatic groupsthat may include from zero to four heteroatoms, for example,unsubstituted or substituted benzene, pyrrole, furan, thiophene,imidazole, oxazole, thiazole, triazole, pyrazole, pyridine, pyrazine,pyridazine and pyrimidine, and the like. Aryl groups also includepolycyclic fused aromatic groups such as naphthyl, quinolyl, indolyl,and the like. The aromatic ring can be substituted at one or more ringpositions with such substituents, e.g., as described above for alkylgroups. Suitable aryl groups include unsubstituted and substitutedphenyl groups.

The term “aryloxy” as used herein means an aryl group, as defined above,having an oxygen atom attached thereto. The term “aralkoxy” as usedherein means an aralkyl group, as defined above, having an oxygen atomattached thereto. Suitable aralkoxy groups have 1 to 3 separate or fusedrings and from 6 to about 18 carbon ring atoms, e.g., O-benzyl.

The language “azo compounds” is intended to include azo containinggroups as surface functionalities. These azo groups on the surface caninitiate the polymerization from the surface into the bulknanocomposite. This approach is achieved using silanes that contain azogroups in them and that can be bonded onto the walls of the glasscapillaries.^(9,10)

The language “chemical interaction” is intended to include, but is notlimited to hydrophobic/hydrophilic, ionic (e.g., coulombicattraction/repulsion, ion-dipole, charge-transfer), chemical bonding,Van der Waals, and hydrogen bonding. The term chemical interaction ismeant to be distinguished from physical interactions, such as physicalfriction between surfaces.

The language “chemical bonding” is intended to include the formation ofa covalent bond, e.g., organic covalent bond or inorganic covalent bond.Organic covalent bonds are defined to involve the formation of acovalent bond between the common elements of organic chemistry includingbut not limited to hydrogen, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, silicon,phosphorus, sulfur, and the halogens. In addition, carbon-silicon andcarbon-oxygen-silicon bonds are defined as organic covalent bonds,whereas silicon-oxygen-silicon bonds that are not defined as organiccovalent bonds, i.e., silicon-oxygen-silicon bonds are defined asinorganic covalent bonds.

The language “capillary column” refers to a chromatographic column withinternal diameters (I.D.) in the range of 50-2000 μm.

The terms “coalescing” and “coalesced,” as used in the language“coalesced particles” are intended to describe a material in whichseveral individual components have become coherent to result in one newcomponent by an appropriate chemical or physical process, e.g., heating.The term coalesced is meant to be distinguished from a collection ofindividual particles in close physical proximity, e.g., in a bedformation, in which the end product comprises individual particles.

The language “dense material” is intended to include hybrid materials,which upon view of an axial cross-section of the material's surface arecomprised of the hybrid material and macropores with an average diameterof less than 0.5 μm that separate the hybrid material.

The terms “derivatized” or “derivatization” are intended to include tothe property or characteristic of anchoring or coating an agent ofalternate functionality onto a second material by conversion of thefunctionality of the receiving surface of the second material to thealternate functionality, e.g., by coating or chemical bonding, e.g.,polymerization.

The term “functionalizing group” includes organic groups which impart acertain chromatographic functionality to a chromatographic stationaryphase, including, e.g., octadecyl (C₁₈) or phenyl. Such functionalizinggroups are present in, for example, surface modifiers such as disclosedherein which are attached to the base material, e.g., via derivatizationor coating and later crosslinking, imparting the chemical character ofthe surface modifier to the base material. In one embodiment, suchsurface modifiers have the formula Z_(a)(R′)_(b)Si—R, where Z═Cl, Br, I,C₁-C₅ alkoxy, dialkylamino or trifluoromethanesulfonate; a and b areeach an integer from 0 to 3 provided that a+b=3; R′ is a C₁-C₆ straight,cyclic or branched alkyl group, and R is a functionalizing group. R′ maybe, e.g., methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, t-butyl, sec-butyl,pentyl, isopentyl, hexyl or cyclohexyl; preferably, R′ is methyl.

The functionalizing group R may include alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl,cyano, amino, diol, nitro, ester, a cation or anion exchange group,embedded polar functionalities, or an alkyl or aryl group containing anembedded polar functionality. Examples of suitable R functionalizinggroups include C₁-C₃₀ alkyl, including C₁-C₂₀, such as octyl (C₈),octadecyl (C₁₈), and triacontyl (C₃₀); alkaryl, e.g., C₁-C₄-phenyl;cyanoalkyl groups, e.g., cyanopropyl; diol groups, e.g., propyldiol;amino groups, e.g., aminopropyl; and alkyl or aryl groups with embeddedpolar functionalities, e.g., carbamate functionalities such as disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,755, the text of which is incorporated herein byreference. Such groups include those of the general formula

wherein l, m, o, r, and s are 0 or 1, n is 0, 1, 2 or 3 p is 0, 1, 2, 3or 4 and q is an integer from 0 to 19; R₃ is selected from the groupconsisting of hydrogen, alkyl, cyano and phenyl; and Z, R′, a and b aredefined as above. Preferably, the carbamate functionality has thegeneral structure indicated below:

wherein R⁵ may be, e.g., cyanoalkyl, t-butyl, butyl, octyl, dodecyl,tetradecyl, octadecyl, or benzyl. Advantageously, R⁵ is octyl, dodecyl,or octadecyl.

The term “heterocyclic group” includes closed ring structures in whichone or more of the atoms in the ring is an element other than carbon,for example, nitrogen, sulfur, or oxygen. Heterocyclic groups can besaturated or unsaturated and heterocyclic groups such as pyrrole andfuran can have aromatic character. They include fused ring structuressuch as quinoline and isoquinoline. Other examples of heterocyclicgroups include pyridine and purine. Heterocyclic groups can also besubstituted at one or more constituent atoms with, for example, ahalogen, a lower alkyl, a lower alkenyl, a lower alkoxy, a loweralkylthio, a lower alkylamino, a lower alkylcarboxyl, a nitro, ahydroxyl, —CF₃, —CN, or the like. Suitable heteroaromatic andheteroalicyclic groups generally will have 1 to 3 separate or fusedrings with 3 to about 8 members per ring and one or more N, O or Satoms, e.g. coumarinyl, quinolinyl, pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyrimidyl,furyl, pyrrolyl, thienyl, thiazolyl, oxazolyl, imidazolyl, indolyl,benzofuranyl, benzothiazolyl, tetrahydrofuranyl, tetrahydropyranyl,piperidinyl, morpholino and pyrrolidinyl.

The term “hybrid”, i.e., as used in the language “inorganic/organichybrid material” or “inorganic/organic hybrid monolith” includesinorganic-based structures wherein an organic functionality is integralto both the internal or “skeletal” inorganic structure. The inorganicportion of the hybrid material may be selected from, but are not limitedto alumina, silica, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, and ceramicmaterial. In one embodiment the inorganic portion of the hybrid materialis silica.

The language “Hydrophile-Lipophile Balance (HLB),” is art recognized andis intended to characterize the solubility of surfactants. The numberprovides a guide to the skilled artisan in deciding which surfactant touse in a given emulsion. Surfactants with an HLB number of <10 (ordepending on your reference, 3-6) have an affinity for oil over water,and as a result water droplets tend to form in an oil phase. Theconverse is true for surfactants with HLB numbers >10 (or 8-13), whichhave an affinity for water over oil, and as a result oil droplets tendto form in a water phase. In certain embodiments the HLB numbertypically ranges from 0 to about 15, but can go as high as 60. The HLBnumber may be derived by a variety of methods, providing a relative,rather than an exact value.

The term “material” as it is used herein, is intended to includethree-dimensional copolymers that have been formed in a single piece. Inone embodiment, the material of the invention is prepared by castingprecursors into a mold of a desired shape. Materials of the inventioninclude, but are not limited to polymeric materials such as monoliths ornon-monolith materials, e.g., particles, copolymers with low porosity,or porous copolymers that do not have interconnected pore structure.

The term “macropore” is intended to include pores of a material, orchannels through the material, which allow liquid to flow directlythrough the material with reduced resistance atchromatographically-useful flow rates. For example, macropores of thepresent invention are intended to include, but are not limited to poreswith a pore diameter larger than about 0.05 μm, pores with a porediameter ranging from about 0.1 μm to about 10 μm, pores with a porediameter ranging from about 0.5 μm to about 5 μm, and pores with a porediameter ranging from about 0.8 μm to about 4 μm. It should beunderstood that the selection of macropore size in the materials of theinvention for use in chromatography may be analyzed based on, at least,column backpressure and efficiency. If the macropore size is too small,the column backpressure will become too great for chromatographic use,while if the macropore diameter is too large, the column will losechromatographic efficiency.

The language “minimally water soluble,” is intended to include theability of the compound to remain at least soluble enough to allow theintended reaction to move forward. In certain embodiments, the language“minimally soluble” is intended to include a range of solubility betweensparingly soluble and fully soluble. It should be understood that thesolubility includes solubility induced by using, for example, heat oradditional reagents. In certain embodiments,2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) would be understood by one skilled the artto be minimally water soluble.

The term “monolith” refers to a porous, three-dimensional materialhaving a continuous interconnected pore structure in a single piece. Theterm monolith is meant to be distinguished from a collection ofindividual particles packed into a bed formation, in which the endproduct comprises individual particles. The term monolith is also meantto be distinguished from three-dimensional polymers with low porosity orporous three-dimensional polymers that do not have interconnected porestructure. In one embodiment, a monolith of the invention is prepared bycasting precursors into a mold of a desired shape. In anotherembodiment, the monolith comprises coalesced particles. In yet anotherembodiment, the monolith material may be used for chromatography, i.e.,the monolith is a chromatographically useful material, e.g., achromatographic column.

The term “nanophase” refers to organic or inorganic phase aggregationsthat have formed based on phase separations at the molecular level. Inparticular embodiments of the invention, phase separation at themolecular level is generated upon the simultaneous reaction of hybridand inorganic monomers through a polymerization sol-gel reaction. FIG. 1is a graphical depiction of the polymerization sol-gel reaction of theinvention that leads to the production of organic and inorganicnanophases.

The language “polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN)” refers tohybrid composite materials that comprise a polymerized organic nanophasesurrounded by an inorganic nanophase, e.g., polymerized siloxane,wherein the nanophases form independently through independent reactions,e.g., a polymerization and a sol gel reaction, and wherein the organicand inorganic nanophases interconnect by chemical bond formation througha hybrid monomer, e.g., by condensation of the inorganic phase, e.g., ofthe hybrid monomer to an inorganic monomer; and polymerization of theorganic phase, e.g., radical polymerization, such that a hybrid materialforms with a plurality of surface scaffolding functionalities.

The language “polymerization sol-gel (PSG) reaction” refers to theapproach of preparing hybrid materials using simultaneous polymerizationreactions and sol-gel reactions, wherein the organic and inorganicnanophases interconnect by chemical bond formation through aninteraction with a hybrid monomer, e.g., by condensation of theinorganic phase, e.g., of the hybrid monomer to an inorganic monomer;and polymerization of the organic phase, e.g., radical polymerization,such that a hybrid material forms. In a particular embodiment, thematerials are made from a mixture of a tetraalkoxysilane,tetramethoxysilane, and a polymerizable organosilane, e.g.,(3-methacryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane, wherein the organosilane isminimally water soluble, e.g., sufficient to produce a polymerizedscaffolding nanocomposite (i.e., the polymerizable group will have anaffect on this solubility). For example, the starting silanes havelimited solubility in water. As the SiOR bonds are hydrolyzed to SiOH,the SiOH monomer that forms is substantially soluble in water.

The term “polymerization” refers to any process that results from thebonding or coupling of smaller molecules to form a larger molecule. OneSkilled in the art would recognize that the term “polymerization” isintended to include a range of different degrees of polymerization,i.e., ranging from a single reaction, e.g., two molecules reacting toform a dimer, to a plurality of reactions, e.g., a large number ofmolecules reacting to form a macromolecule.

The language “scaffolding functionality” refers to functional moieties,such as organic functionalities, e.g., of organosilanes, that arecapable of chemically interacting with a surface of a second material,e.g., a containment vessel, thus allowing the PSN material to anchor tothe second material, and thereby become immobilized relative thereto. Incertain embodiments of the invention, the functional moiety is a“polymerizable group” including, but not limited to vinyl, acrylate,methacrylate, e.g., 3-methacryloxypropyl, acrylamide, methacrylamide,styrene, e.g., styrylethyl, divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, alkyne,and combinations thereof. The ordinarily skilled artisan wouldunderstand that the scaffolding functionality would be consumed during apolymerization reaction to varying extents depending on the reactionconditions chosen, and that the above listed functionalities areprovided in their unreacted or monomeric state.

The language “second material” is intended to include any secondmaterial with a surface capable of receiving the PSN material.

The language “surface modifiers” is intended to include functionalizinggroups that impart a certain chromatographic functionality to achromatographic stationary phase. Surface modifiers such as disclosedherein are attached to the base material, e.g., via derivatization orcoating and later crosslinking, imparting the chemical character of thesurface modifier to the base material.

The language “wall adhesion” refers to a property of a material, e.g., aPSN material, in which the material possesses sufficient chemicalinteraction between the material and a second material (e.g., the insidewall of a capillary column) such that the chemical interactions areretained upon subjection of the material to additional factors, e.g.,during use of the material in chromatographic separations. In certainembodiments, the PSN material possesses sufficient wall adhesion so asto minimize or preclude flow paths between the PSN material and thesecond material, e.g., chromatographic column, where said flow pathswould be deleterious to separation efficacy in the chromatographiccolumn.

I. Compositions of Matter

In one aspect, the invention provides a hybrid inorganic/organicmaterial comprising a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN),wherein the nanocomposite contains a scaffolding functionality capableof chemically interacting with a surface of a second material. Thehybrid material includes inorganic-based structures wherein an organicfunctionality is integral to both the internal or “skeletal” inorganicstructure, wherein the inorganic portion is selected from, but notlimited to silica, alumina, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, ceramics,tin oxide, and combinations thereof.

In certain embodiments, the organic functionality of the hybrid materialis derived, at least in part, from a hybrid monomer, e.g., anorganosilane, e.g., an organoalkoxysilane, which comprises both aninorganic and organic component, i.e., relating to the presence of botha silicon-oxygen bond and a carbon-silicon bond in a single monomericunit. In certain embodiments, the organosilane is an organoalkoxysilanehaving the formula R²Si(OR¹)₃ or R⁶[Si(OR¹)₃]_(m) where R² is a styryl,vinyl, an acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide,divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₁₈alkenylene, alkynylene or arylene, or a combination thereof; R¹ is aC₁-C₄ alkyl moiety; R⁶ is a substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₁₈alkenylene, alkynylene or arylene moiety bridging two or more siliconatoms; and m is an integer greater than or equal to two. In certainembodiments, R² is vinyl, methacryloxypropyl, methacrylamidepropyl, orstyrylethyl and R¹ is methyl or ethyl; or R⁶ is a bridgingN,N-bis(propylene)acrylamide group, m=2, and R¹ is ethyl or methyl. In aspecific embodiment of the invention, the organosilane is(3-methacryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane. In certain embodiments, theorganosilane is minimally water soluble, e.g., sufficient to produce apolymerized scaffolding nanocomposite.

In one embodiment, the PSN is the product of a reaction of a hybridorganic/inorganic monomer, e.g., an organosilane, and an inorganicmonomer, e.g., a silane monomer. In a specific embodiment, the PSN isthe product of a reaction of a tetraalkoxysilane and an organosilanecontaining at least one polymerizable group, e.g., 3-methacryloxypropylor styrylethyl.

In one embodiment, the tetraalkoxysilane has the formula Si(OR¹)₄, whereR¹ is a C₁-C₃ alkyl moiety, e.g., tetramethoxysilane ortetraethoxysilane. In certain embodiments, the organosilane and/ortetraalkoxysilane are minimally water soluble, e.g., sufficient toproduce a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite. In a particularembodiment, the (3-methacryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane and thetetramethoxysilane are present in a volume to volume ratio of 1 to 4.

The hybrid inorganic/organic material may be cast in any shape bytechniques well known in the art, such as molding, so long as theproperties of the material are not substantially affected. In oneembodiment of the invention the hybrid inorganic/organic material is aporous hybrid inorganic/organic monolith, e.g., a capillary monolith.The monoliths of the present invention have improved propertiesincluding, but not limited to enhanced wall adhesion, i.e., capillarywall adhesion, and increased resistance to shrinkage and improvedmechanical n comparison to capillary monoliths known in the art.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the polymerizable organo groupsare embedded inside the silica skeleton, which yields monoliths thathave high surface silanol concentrations, i.e., a large population ofchromatographically accessible silanols, and with essentially nochromatographically accessible or useful organo groups. The monolithskeletons of these monoliths are composed of an organic-inorganicnanocomposite, wherein the organic moiety is embedded inside theinorganic silica network. This approach offers monoliths with anincreased resistance to shrinkage as well as good resistance toshrinking and swelling upon exposure to organic solvent. In certainembodiments, the shrinkage of the silica skeleton/scaffold will beminimized due to the high organic content. Thus, monolith columns withIDs of greater than 50 μm, e.g., 1-2 mm, can be prepared in-situ usingthis method of reaction.

In an alternate embodiment, the polymerized organic phase ischromatographically accessible and changes the hydrophobicity of theporous surface, resulting in novel selectivities for chromatographicseparations. In certain embodiments, the extent to which the organicphase is chromatographically accessible depends on the extent to whichthe scaffolding functionality is consumed upon anchoring of the PSNmaterial to the interior surface of the chromatographic column. Inparticular embodiments, unpolymerized scaffolding functionality maydirectly, e.g., methacrylate groups, or indirectly, e.g., hydrolyzedmethacrylate groups, provide the chromatographically accessible organicphase. This polymerization reaction may be regulated to produce desiredchromatographic selectivities.

In accordance with the invention, the PSN contains a scaffoldingfunctionality that is capable of chemically interacting with a surfaceof a second material, e.g., a containment vessel, thus allowing the PSNmaterial to anchor to the second material. In certain embodiments of theinvention, the scaffolding functionality is a “polymerizable group”including, but not limited to vinyl, acrylate, methacrylate, e.g.,3-methacryloxypropyl, acrylamide, methacrylamide, styrene, e.g.,styrylethyl, divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, alkyne, andcombinations thereof.

The improved properties afforded by the invention, e.g., enhanced walladhesion and/or increased resistance to shrinkage, are the result of thescaffolding functionality that anchors the polymer to the wall of thecontainment vessel. The ordinarily skilled artisan would understand thatthe scaffolding functionality would be substantially consumed during apolymerization reaction, and that the above-listed functionalities areprovided in their unreacted or monomeric state.

The second material, in accordance with the invention, is any materialhaving a surface that is capable of receiving the PSN material. Incertain embodiments, the second material is a containment vessel, whichprovides supportive enclosure to the PSN material. The second material,e.g., containment vessel, may be used as the primary reaction vessel forpreparation of the PSN material, or the PSN material may be preparedindependently of the second material and subsequently transferred to thesecond material, e.g., a secondary containment vessel, such that the PSNmaterial is capable of interacting with the second material.

In one embodiment, the containment vessel is used as the reactionvessel, whereby chemical interactions, such as chemical bonding, e.g.,covalent bonding, occur between the forming PSN material and the secondmaterial during the polymerization of the PSN material. In analternative embodiment, the PSN material is subsequently transferred tothe second material, such as a secondary containment vessel, whereinchemical interactions, such as chemical bonding, e.g., covalent bonding,occur through further chemical processing, e.g., addition of acrosslinking agent, photoinitiation of a radical polymerizationreaction, or addition of a hydrosilylation catalyst for ahydrosilylation reaction. The containment vessels that may be utilizedfor PSN materials of the present invention include, but are not limitedto a chromatographic column, e.g., capillary column, e.g., a fusedsilica capillary column, a glass lined steel column, a radialcompression column, a trap column, a microfluidic device, a microchip, asensor, an electronic circuit, a solid phase extraction (SPE) device,e.g., a miniaturized SPE device, and an on-column frit.

In certain embodiments, the second material in itself has functionalitysuitable for interaction with the nanocomposite. In other embodiments,the surface of the second material is derivatized with an anchoringfunctionality or treated to provide the anchoring functionality.

The anchoring functionality and the scaffolding functionality may becopolymerizable, such that a covalent bond is formed as a result ofcopolymerization of the scaffolding and anchoring functionalities. Inone embodiment, this polymerization may be initiated by a radicalinitiator, including, but not limited to 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile),2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine)dihydrochloride,4,4′-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid), potassium persulfate, and peraceticacid. In addition, the radical initiator is at least minimally soluble,e.g., minimally water soluble.

In certain embodiments, the present invention involves the interactionof silanol functionalities, e.g., chemical bonding between a silanol ofsecond surface and a silanol of the PSN material (i.e., a glasscapillary surface containing silanols that react with the Si—OH groupsof a silica sol to form a bridging siloxane between a gelling monolithand the capillary wall). However, it should be understood that incertain embodiments where the chemical interaction is the interaction ofsilanol functionalities, this interaction is in combination with otherchemical interaction(s), e.g., chemical bonding, through polymerization,e.g., forming an organic chemical bond. In certain other embodiments thechemical interaction is not the interaction of silanol functionalities.

In another aspect, the invention provides a PSN that is a compositematerial prepared by the polymerization sol-gel reaction describedherein below. For example, in one embodiment, the preparation of a PSNmaterial comprises the steps of

-   -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction; and    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sol-gel (PSG) reaction.

In certain embodiments, the preparation of the PSN may further comprisethe step of (d) modifying the pore structure of the material. The porousinorganic/organic hybrid materials of the invention may be used asprepared by the process noted above and further described in Section IIbelow, without further modification.

Alternatively, the hybrid materials of the invention may be furthermodified by one or more processing treatments, e.g., by: chemicalprocessing treatment, such as derivatization of surface functionalitiesof the thus-prepared material; incorporating additives to the PSGreaction that affect the physical properties, e.g., porogens, such assurfactants or solvents, e.g., toluene; physical processing treatments,such as hydrothermal treatment; or a combination of several processingtreatments.

Chemical Processing

A. Incorporation Additives

In one embodiment, the pore structure of the materials of the invention,e.g., mono materials, is modified by further including a surfactant orcombination of different surfactants in the PSG reaction. In a specificembodiment, the surfactant or combination of surfactants includes atleast one nonionic surfactant. Exemplary nonionic surfactants includebut are not limited to surfactants comprised of block copolymers ofpolyethylene glycol and polypropyleneglycol, surfactants comprised ofalkylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol, and polyethyleneglycol, e.g., PluronicF38. In particular embodiments, the surfactant or combination ofsurfactants are selected from surfactants with a hydrophile-lipophilebalance ranging from about 0 to 60, e.g., about 10 to 50, e.g. about 20to 40, e.g., about 30 to 40, e.g., about 33.

The surfactants are believed to enhance the concentration of water andthe acid/base catalyst on the surface of the material during thepolymerization sol-gel reaction. Use of surfactants to modulate thesurface structure of the material stabilizes the polymer material thatis forming throughout the reaction, and minimizes or suppressesinhomogeneous morphology.

B. Surface Modification

The methods of preparation may further comprise surface modifying thematerials of the invention, e.g., the monolith materials of theinvention. The hybrid materials of the invention possess both organicgroups and silanol groups, which may be additionally substituted orderivatized with a surface modifier.

In one embodiment of the invention, surface organic groups of the porousinorganic/organic hybrid material are derivatized or modified in asubsequent step via formation of an organic covalent bond between themodifying reagent and organic groups of the material, wherein thematerial retains sufficient scaffolding functionality such that thematerial is able to interact with a second material. Alternatively, thesurface silanol groups of the hybrid silica are derivatized intosiloxane organic groups, such as by reacting with anorganotrihalosilane, e.g., octadecyltrichlorosilane, or ahalopolyorganosilane, e.g., octadecyldimethylchlorosilane.Alternatively, the surface organic and silanol groups of the hybridsilica are both derivatized.

In a particular embodiment, the silanol groups are surface modified withcompounds having the formula Z_(a)(R′)_(b)Si—R, where Z═Cl, Br, I, C₁-C₅alkoxy, dialkylamino or trifluoromethanesulfonate; a and b are each aninteger from 0 to 3 provided that a+b=3; R′ is a C₁-C₆ straight, cyclicor branched alkyl group, and R is a functionalizing group. R′ may be,e.g., methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, t-butyl, sec-butyl,pentyl, isopentyl, hexyl or cyclohexyl; preferably, R′ is methyl. Inadditional embodiments, the organic groups may be similarlyfunctionalized.

In one embodiment; the organic groups of the hybrid materials react toform an organic covalent bond with a surface modifier. The modifiers canalso form an organic covalent bond to the material's organic group via anumber of mechanisms well known in organic and polymer chemistryincluding but not limited to nucleophilic, electrophilic, cycloaddition,free-radical, carbene, nitrene, and carbocation reactions.

In one embodiment, the surface modifier may be an organotrihalosilane,such as octyltrichlorosilane or octadecyltrichlorosilane. In anadditional embodiment, the surface modifier may be ahalopolyorganosilane, such as octyldimethylchlorosilaneoctadecyldimethylchlorosilane. In certain other embodiments the surfacemodifier is octadecyldimethyl-N,N-dimethylaminosilane.

In another embodiment, the surface of the hybrid silica material mayalso be surface modified by coating with a polymer. Polymer coatings areknown in the literature and may be provided generally by polymerizationor polycondensation of physisorbed monomers onto the surface withoutchemical bonding of the polymer layer to the support (type I),polymerization or polycondensation of physisorbed monomers onto thesurface with chemical bonding of the polymer layer to the support (typeII), immobilization of physisorbed prepolymers to the support (typeIII), and chemisorption of presynthesized polymers onto the surface ofthe support (type IV)⁽¹¹⁾. As noted above, coating the hybrid materialwith a polymer may be used in conjunction with various surfacemodifications described in the invention.

Moreover, the surface of the materials of the invention may containresidual organic groups, which can be derivatized by reacting with areagent that is reactive towards the organic group. For example, vinylgroups, e.g., unreacted methacrylate groups, on the particle can bereacted with a variety of olefin reactive reagents such as bromine(Br₂), hydrogen (H₂), free radicals, propagating polymer radicalcenters, dienes, and the like. In another example, hydroxyl groups onthe material can be reacted with a variety of alcohol reactive reagentssuch as isocyanates, carboxylic acids, carboxylic acid chlorides, andreactive organosilanes as described below. Reactions of this type arewell known in the literature, see, e.g., March, J. “Advanced OrganicChemistry,” 3^(rd) Edition, Wiley, New York, 1985; Odian, G. “ThePrinciples of Polymerization,” 2^(nd) Edition, Wiley, New York, 1981;the texts of which are incorporated herein by reference. Moreover,regulation of the extent of the (methacrylate) polymerization reactionmay be used to supply more or less organic groups for derivatizationwith reagents that are reactive to the organic functionalities.

In addition, the surface of the materials of the invention containsilanol groups, which can be derivatized by reacting with a reactiveorganosilane. The surface derivatization of the hybrid material may beconducted according to standard methods, for example by reaction withoctadecyltrichlorosilane or octadecyldimethylchlorosilane in an organicsolvent at elevated temperature. An organic solvent such as toluene ormethylene chloride is typically used for this reaction. An organic basesuch as pyridine or imidazole is added to the reaction mixture tocatalyze the reaction. The product of this reaction is then washed withone or more solvents such as methanol, water, toluene, methylenechloride, and/or acetone and can be sometimes further dried at about 80°C. to 100° C. under reduced pressure for about 16 h. The resultanthybrid material can be further reacted with a short-chain silane such astrimethylchlorosilane to endcap any remaining silanol groups, by using asimilar procedure described above.

C. Hydrothermal Treatment

In addition, materials of the invention, e.g., the monolith materials ofthe invention, may be subjected to hydrothermal treatment to improve thematerial's pore structure, e.g., by further condensation of the siloxanepolymer network formed during the PSG reaction, and dissolution andredeposition silicic acid silicates from and to the surface of the porestructure. In particular, this treatment would be applicable after thepolymerization achieved a solid state. In one embodiment, thehydrothermal treatment is in a basic solution at an elevated or hightemperature, e.g., 120° C. (i.e., the hydrothermal treatment is run inthe capillary). The range of pH of the hydrothermal treatment is about6-12, e.g., about 8-11, e.g., about 9-10. The monolith material is thenrinsed with water followed by a solvent exchange, e.g., with methanol;ethanol; acetonitrile; or tetrahydrofuran followed by room temperature,e.g. about 20-25° C., drying. The material is then dried at about25-120° C., and preferably at about 70° C., under vacuum overnight.

In one embodiment, the condensation is base catalyzed, e.g., by ammonia.In certain embodiments, the ammonia is generated by the high temperaturedecomposition of urea or a suitable organic amide.

The surface of the hydrothermally treated hybrid material may bemodified in a similar fashion to that of the hybrid material that is notmodified by hydrothermal treatment as described above. For example, in asubsequent step, the surface organic groups of the hybrid material maybe optionally modified via formation of a covalent bond between themonolith material's organic and/or silanol group and the modifyingreagent, and optionally including coating with a polymer, i.e., also asis described above.

II. Methods of Preparation

In a related aspect, the invention provides a method of preparation of ahybrid inorganic/organic material comprising a polymerized scaffoldingnanocomposite (PSN), comprising the steps of

-   -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction; and    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sol-gel (PSG) reaction, thereby preparing the hybrid        inorganic/organic monolith, wherein the monolith contains a        scaffolding functionality capable of chemically interacting with        a surface of a second material. In certain embodiments, the        methods further comprise the step of (d) modifying the pore        structure of the material. As described above, the resulting PSN        material may be subsequently transferred to the second material,        such as a secondary containment vessel, wherein chemical        interactions, such as chemical bonding, e.g., covalent bonding,        occur through further chemical processing, e.g., addition of a        crosslinking agent, photoinitiation of a radical polymerization        reaction, or addition of a hydrosilylation catalyst for a        hydrosilylation reaction.

Alternatively, the invention provides a method for in situ preparationof a hybrid inorganic/organic monolith in a chromatographic column,e.g., a capillary column, e.g., a fused-silica capillary column. Themethod comprises:

forming an anchoring functionality on an interior surface of saidchromatographic column; and

forming inside the chromatographic column a hybrid inorganic/organicmonolith comprising a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN),wherein the nanocomposite contains a scaffolding functionality capableof chemically interacting with the anchoring functionality on thesurface, the monolith being formed by:

-   -   a) forming a sol-gel by the reaction of two or more monomers;    -   b) initiating a polymerization reaction; and    -   c) allowing the monomers to react through a polymerization        sol-gel (PSG) reaction; whereby the scaffolding functionality        and the anchoring functionality chemically interact to thereby        anchor the monolith to the surface, such that a hybrid        inorganic/organic monolith is prepared in situ in the        chromatographic column. In certain embodiments, the in situ        process involves covalent bond formation between the PSN        material and the surface of the chromatographic column, i.e.,        consumption of a plurality of scaffolding functionalities in        covalent bond formation to the second material.

In accordance with these aspects of the invention, the hybrid materialsare prepared using a polymerization sol-gel (PSG) reaction. Moreparticularly, the hybrid materials are prepared using simultaneouspolymerization reactions and sol-gel reactions, wherein the organic andinorganic nanophases interconnect by chemical bond formation through aninteraction with a hybrid monomer, e.g., by condensation of theinorganic phase, e.g., of the hybrid monomer to an inorganic monomer;and polymerization of the organic phase, e.g., radical polymerization,such that a hybrid material forms. In a particular embodiment, thematerials are made from a mixture of a tetraalkoxysilane, e.g.,tetramethoxysilane, and a polymerizable organosilane, e.g.,(3-methacryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane, wherein the organosilane isminimally water soluble, e.g., sufficient to produce a polymerizedscaffolding nanocomposite (i.e., the polymerizable group will have anaffect on this solubility).

In one exemplary embodiment, the PSG reaction begins with hydrolysis,e.g., acid catalyzed hydrolysis, e.g., by acetic acid, and slowcondensation of a hybrid monomer and an inorganic monomer, e.g., amixture of tetramethoxysilane and a polymerizable organosilane, such as(3-methacryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane, and proceeds at low temperature(e.g., a temperature ranging from about 0° C. to about room temperature,e.g. about 20-25° C.) and low pH (e.g., about 2-3), forming a mixture oflow molecular weight oligomers. In a subsequent step, a polymerizationreaction is initiated, e.g., radically initiated. In certainembodiments, the radical initiation occurs at an increased temperature(e.g., above room temperature, e.g., about 60-65° C.). The oligomersformed are then simultaneously polymerized, e.g., via radical chainpolymerization, and further condensed to form a polymerized sol-gel(illustrated in FIG. 1). Moreover, the polymerizable group (depicted inFIG. 1A, in both chemical structure and schematic form) may react withadditional polymerizable groups or terminate in a reaction with thesurface of a second material, e.g., with an anchoring functionality onthe inner surface of a chromatographic column. A simplified example ofthe product of the polymerization sol-gel reaction is shown in across-sectional block of an interior portion of the PSN material inFIGS. 1C and 1D, i.e., polymerization to the second material is notdepicted. However, the depictions of FIG. 1 are not intended to limitthe scope of the invention.

The PSG reaction is performed at a temperature sufficient to achievesimultaneous polymerization and sol gel reactions, e.g., at 65° C., andis performed for an amount of time sufficient to prepare the hybridinorganic/organic material, e.g., the PSN material. In certainembodiments, the polymerization is initiated with a radical initiator,e.g., a radical initiator that is minimally water soluble, e.g.,2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile), 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionamidine)dihydrochloride, 4,4′-azobis(4-cyanovaleric acid), potassium persulfate,or peracetic acid. In certain embodiments of the invention, the sol-gelreaction occurs in the presence of urea.

III. Devices

The porous inorganic/organic hybrid materials of the current inventionhave a wide variety of end uses in the separation sciences, such asmaterials for chromatographic columns, thin layer chromatographic (TLC)plates, filtration membranes, microtiter plates, scavenger supports,solid phase organic synthesis supports, Capillary-LC columns, radialcompression columns, trap columns, microfiuidic devices, microchips,sensors, electronic circuits, miniaturized solid phase extraction (SPE)devices and on-column fits, and the like, having a stationary phase thatincludes porous inorganic/organic hybrid materials, e.g., monolithmaterials, of the present invention. The stationary phase may beintroduced into the device by coating, impregnation, cladding, wrapping,or other art-recognized techniques consistent with the methods ofpreparation of the present invention, etc., depending on therequirements of the particular device.

Thus, in another aspect, the invention provides a separations devicecomprising

-   -   a) a surface capable of accepting a monolith material comprising        a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN) material, said        surface comprising an anchoring functionality and    -   b) a hybrid inorganic/organic monolith comprising a polymerized        scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite        contains a scaffolding functionality capable of chemically        interacting with the anchoring functionality on said surface,        and wherein said hybrid organic/inorganic monolith is anchored        to said surface by a chemical interaction between said        scaffolding functionality and anchoring functionality. In        certain embodiments, the devices in accordance with the        invention include chromatographic columns, e.g., a glass lined        steel column, capillary column, thin layer plates, filtration        membranes, sample cleanup devices, and microtiter plates.

In certain embodiments, the separations device is a fused-inorganiccapillary column, wherein the inorganic portion may be selected from,but is not limited, to silica, alumina, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide,ceramics, tin oxide, and combinations thereof.

In an particularly advantageous embodiment, the invention provides achromatographic column, e.g., a capillary column, e.g., a fused-silicacapillary column, comprising

-   -   a) a chromatographic column having a cylindrical interior        surface capable of accepting a monolith comprising a polymerized        scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN) material, the interior surface        comprising an anchoring functionality, and    -   b) a hybrid inorganic/organic monolith comprising a polymerized        scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN), wherein the nanocomposite        contains a scaffolding functionality capable of chemically        interacting with the anchoring functionality on the surface, and        wherein the hybrid organic/inorganic monolith is anchored to the        surface by a chemical interaction between the scaffolding        functionality and anchoring functionality.

In certain embodiments, the device is a chromatographic column, acapillary column, e.g., a fused-silica capillary column, wherein theinterior surface of the capillary column is derivatized with apolymerizable anchoring functionality. In certain embodiments of theinvention, the capillary column has an inner diameter (I.D.) greaterthan about 50 μm, e.g., greater than about 100 μm, e.g., greater thanabout 150 μm, e.g., greater than about 200 μm, greater than about 250μm, e.g., greater than about 500 μm, e.g., greater than about 1.0 mm,e.g., greater than about 2 mm, e.g., greater than about 3 mm. In aparticularly advantageous embodiment, the chromatographic device is achromatographic column, such as commonly used in HPLC.

EXAMPLES

The present invention may be further illustrated by the followingnon-limiting examples describing the preparation of porousinorganic/organic hybrid monolith materials, and their use.

Materials

All reagents were used as received unless otherwise noted. Those skilledin the art will recognize that equivalents of the following supplies andsuppliers exist, and as such the suppliers listed below are not to beconstrued as limiting.

Gelest Inc., Morrisville, Pa.: (3-Methacryloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane(MAPTMOS), tetramethoxysilane (TMOS), andoctadecyldimethyl(dimethylamino)silane; BASF Corp., Mount Olive, N.J.:Pluronic® F38; Sigma-Aldrich Chemical Co., Milwaukee, Wis.: thiourea,acenaphthene, naphthalene, sodium hydroxide; DuPont, Wilmington, Del.,Vazo® 64 and Vazo® 44; J. T. Baker, Phillipsburgh, N.J.: urea, methylenechloride, methanol, acetonitrile, acetone, toluene, pyridine,hydrochloride acid and glacial acetic acid. All solvents were HPLCgrade. Water was used directly from a Millipore Milli-Q (Milipore Corp.,Bedford, Mass.). Fused silica capillary columns (Cat #FS-115, 150 μmI.D., Cat #FS-150, 50 μm I.D., or equivalents) and all the end-fittingsand unions (Cat #P-760) were from Upchurch Scientific (Oak Harbor,Wash.) and from Polymicro Technologies, Phoenix, Ariz. (Cat #TSP 530660,520 μm I.D., or equivalents). Compression screws were from Waters Corp.(Milford, Mass.).

Example 1

A Harvard Apparatus Model ‘33’ Dual Syringe Pump (Harvard ApparatusInc., Hollistion, Mass., or equivalent) and 10 mL Pharmaseal® syringe(American Pharmaseals Laboratory, Glendale, Calif., or equivalent) wereused in all capillary filling and purging steps.

A fused silica capillary column (ca, 2 m in length) was treated by thefollowing five steps: (1) the column was purged with 1N NaOH at a flowrate of 50 μL/min for at least 5 minutes, sealed via compressionfittings and heated to 90° C. for 17 hours; (2) the column was purgedwith 1N HCl water solution at a flow rate of 50 μL/min for at least 5minutes; (3) the column was rinsed with water, acetone, and then tolueneat a flow rate of 50 μL/min for 10 minutes each (total volume ˜500μL, >10 times column volume); (4) the column was filled with a mixtureof 0.5 mL (3-methacryloxypropypl)trimethoxysilane/0.5 mL pyridine/10 mLtoluene at a flow rate of 50 μL/min for 5 minutes, sealed at both endsof the column and the column was then heated in a 90° C. oven for 21hours; and (5) the column was washed with toluene, acetone and water for10 minutes each at a flow of 50 μL/min.

After surface derivatization, sections of the 2 meter capillary are cutto make multiple, shorter capillary monoliths that may be used infurther experiments.

Example 2

Plutonic® F38 (Example 2a—0.622 g, Example 2b—0.596 g) and urea (Example2a—0.517 g, Example 2b—0.515 g) were added to 5 mL of a 15 mM aceticacid solution at room temperature in a glass vial. The solutions weredeoxygenated by nitrogen gas purging for at least 2 minutes before Vazo®64 (1-2 mg) was added, and then the solution was cooled to 0° C. In aseparate glass vial, a 2 mL silane mixture (4/1 TMOS:MAPTMOS v/v) wasprepared and then cooled to 0° C. Next, the silane mixture was addedslowly to the acetic acid solution. The combined solutions were stirredat 0° C. for 1 h and then at room temperature (rt) for 1.75 h.

The resulting solutions were delivered into two separate 50 μm (I.D.)×40mm (L) capillary columns that were surface treated as described inExample 1 with the exception that step (1) was run for 2 hours. Thecolumns were then sealed at both ends with two compression screws andwere heated at 45° C. in an oven for 18.5 h.

Monolith morphology of the cross-sections of each column was observed byScanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) (JEOL, Peabody, Mass. or equivalent)and showed the formation of monolith materials with a majority ofmacropores with diameters greater than 0.5 μm and the absence ofshrinkage away from the capillary wall.

Example 3

As described in Example 2, Pluronic® F38 and urea were added to 5 mL ofan acetic acid solution at room temperature. The solutions weredeoxygenated by nitrogen gas purging for at least 2 minutes before Vazo®64 was added. The stirred solutions were cooled to 0° C. for a specifictime, and 2 mL of a 0° C. slime mixture (4/1 TMOS:MAPTMOS v/v) was addedslowly to the acetic acid solution. The combined solutions were stirredat 0° C. for a prescribed time and then at rt for an additional timeperiod.

The resulting solutions were delivered into separate 150 μm (I.D.)×40 mm(L) capillary columns that had been surface treated as described inExample 1. The columns were then sealed at both ends with twocompression screws and were heated at 65° C. for a prescribed time andthen at an elevated temperature (Example 3ab 120° C.; Example 3c-j 105°C.; Example 3k-o 110° C.; Example 3p-t 125° C.) for an additional timeperiod.

Monolith morphology of the cross-sections of each column was observed bySEM as described in Example 2. Depending on the reaction conditions,dense monolith materials (a majority of macropores with diameters lessthan 0.5 μm) to non-dense monolith materials (a majority of macroporeswith diameters greater than 0.5 μm) were observed, and varying levels ofwall adhesion were achieved. Specific amounts of reagents used toprepare these products and characterization data are listed in Table 1.

Example 3k and 3t were cut to 20 cm lengths and the surfactant wasremoved from the monolith structure by prolonged methanol purging usingan Eldex Micropro Syringe Pump (Eidex, Napa, Calif., or equivalent). Thecolumn was purged with methanol for 5 days at a 1.0 μL/min flow rate, atwhich time no surfactant could be detected in the mobile phase asmeasured by FTIR spectroscopy (Polaris, ThermoMattson, Madison, Wis., orequivalent).

Surface Modification:

After chromatographic evaluation as described in Example 9 (see Table4), Example 3t was purged with methylene chloride at 1.0 μL/min for 16 hand then purged with a solution ofoctadecyldimethyl(dimethylamino)silane in methylene chloride (1/4 v/v)at 1 μL/min for 3 h. After surface modification, the column was purgedwith methylene chloride at 1 μL/min flow rate for 16 hours, which wasthen exchanged with acetonitrile by purging with greater that 3 columnvolumes. The resulting surface modified monolith is identified asExample 3u, which was in turn evaluated as described in Example 9 (seeTable 4).

Example 4

As described in Example 2, Pluronic® F38 and urea were added to 5 of anacetic acid solution at morn temperature. The solutions weredeoxygenated with N₂ purge for at least 2 minutes before Vazo® 64 wasadded. The stirred solutions were cooled to 0° C. for a specific time,and 2 mL of a 0° C. silane mixture (4/1 TMOS:MAPTMOS v/v) was addedslowly to the acetic acid solution. The combined solutions were stirredat rt for prescribed time.

The resulting solutions were delivered into separate 150 μm (I.D.)×40 mm(L) capillary columns that were surface treated as described inExample 1. The columns were then sealed at both ends with twocompression screws and were heated at 65° C. for a prescribed time andthen at an elevated temperature (4a-e 120° C.; 4f-n 110° C.) for anadditional time period.

Monolith morphology on the cross-section of the column was observed bySEM as described in Example 2. Depending on the reaction conditions,dense monolith materials (a majority of macropores with diameters lessthan 0.5 μm) to non-dense monolith materials (a majority of macroporeswith diameters greater than 0.5 μm) were observed, and varying levels ofwall adhesion were achieved. Specific amounts of reagents used toprepare these products and characterization data are listed in Table 2.

TABLE 1 Time Pluronic Time Time Time elevated Wall HOAc F38 Urea Vazo 640° C. rt 65° C. temp Dense Adhesion Product (mM) (g) (g) (mg) (min) (h)(h) (h) (Y/N) (Y/N) 3a 15 0.715 0.508 5 30 60 15 8 Y N 3b 30 0.708 0.5035 30 1 18 7 Y Y 3c 15 0.709 0.502 5 0 3 17 5 Y Y 3d 30 0.698 0.501 5 0 317 5 Y N 3e 15 0.797 0.509 3 0 3 17 5 Y N 3f 30 0.793 0.511 3 0 3 17 5 YN 3g 15 0.695 0.511 5 0 3 17 5 Y N 3h 15 0.793 0.504 5 0 3 17 5 Y N 3i15 0.593 0.511 4 0 4 5 72 N Y 3j 15 0.558 0.496 4 0 4 5 72 N Y 3k 300.561 0.502 0.5 0 3 2 18 N Y 3l 30 0.595 0.498 1 0 3 2 18 Y N 3m 300.659 0.496 1 0 3 9 18 Y N 3n 30 0.703 0.497 1 0 3 2 18 Y N 3o 30 0.7900.496 1 0 3 2 18 Y N 3p 30 0.560 0.499 1 0 3 9 16 N Y 3q 30 0.533 0.5083 0 3 2 16 N N 3r 30 0.508 0.508 6 0 3 2 16 N Y 3s 30 0.470 0.513 5 0 32 26 N N 3t 30 0.415 0.501 2 0 3 2 16 N Y

TABLE 2 Time Pluronic Time Time elevated Wall HOAc F38 Urea Vazo 64 rt65° C. temp Dense Adhesion Product (mM) (g) (g) (mg) (h) (h) (h) (Y/N)(Y/N) 4a 50 0.605 0.484 1 2 4 17 N Y 4b 50 0.505 0.512 2 2 4 17 N Y 4c50 0.401 0.518 2 2 4 17 N Y 4d 50 0.704 0.500 2 2 4 17 N N 4e 50 0.3580.495 3 2 4 17 N Y 4f 50 0.403 0.502 1 2 20 8 N Y 4g 70 0.418 0.500 1 220 8 N Y 4h 100 0.400 0.492 1 2 20 8 N N 4I 50 0.404 0.493 1 4 3 17 N N4j 70 0.419 0.492 1 4 3 17 N N

TABLE 3 Pluronic Time Time Time Wall HOAc F38 Urea Vazo 44 rt 60° C.100° C. Dense Adhesion Product (mM) (g) (g) (mg) (h) (h) (h) (Y/N) (Y/N)8a 50 0.694 0.486 20 2 17 72 Y N 8b 50 0.653 0.501 20 2 17 72 N Y 8c 500.649 0.546 2 1 2 17 Y N 8d 50 0.659 0.514 2 1 2 17 N Y 8e 50 0.6400.530 2 1 2 17 Y N 8f 50 0.628 0.556 2 1 2 17 Y N 8g 50 0.674 0.553 2 12 17 N Y

Example 5

Plutonic® F38 (0.424 g) and 0.503 g urea were added to 5 mL of a 15 mMacetic acid solution at room temperature in a glass vial. The solutionswere deoxygenated by nitrogen gas purging for at least 2 minutes before3 mg of Vazo® 64 was added, and then the solution was cooled to 0° C. Ina separate glass vial, a 2 silane mixture (4/1 TMOS:MAPTMOS v/v) wasprepared and then cooled to 0° C. Next, the silane mixture was addedslowly to the acetic acid solution. The combined solutions were stirredat 0° C. for 1 h and then at room temperature (rt) for 1.75 h.

The resulting solution was delivered into a fused silica capillary witha length of 40 cm (Examples 5a-b) or 120 cm (Examples 5c-d), and aninner diameter of 150 μm (Examples 5a-c) or 520 μm (Example 3d), whichwas pretreated as described in Example 1, at a flow rate of 50 μL/minfor 5-7 minutes.

The column was then sealed at both ends using compression screws(Examples 5a-b) or Upchurch P760 compression fittings and a singleUpchurch P760 union (Examples 5c-d). The sealed column was held at roomtemperature for two hours after the mixed silanes were added to theacetic acid mixture. The column was then heated in a 65° C. oven for 2hours, and transferred to a 125° C. oven and held overnight (20 hours).

The column was then slowly cooled to room temperature. The surfactantwas removed from the structure by prolonged methanol purging using anEldex Micropro Syringe Pump (Eldex, Napa, Calif.). The column was purgedwith methanol for 6 hours at a 0.5 μL/min flow rate, then for 20 hoursat 1 μL/min flow rate.

Monolith morphology on the cross-section of the column was observed bySEM as described in Example 2. Non-dense monolith materials (a majorityof macropores with diameters greater than 0.5 μm) were observed, andwall adhesion was achieved.

Example 6

The monolith surfaces of columns from Examples 5a-d were surfacemodified using the following procedure producing surface modifiedmonoliths defined analogously as Examples 6a-d.

A 0.32 M solution of octadecyldimethyl(dimethylamino)silane was preparedin toluene or tetrahydrofuran. The column was purged with this solutionusing an Eldex Micropro Syringe Pump at a flow rate of 1 μL/min forseveral column volumes and then heated from 25° C. to 50-55° C. andmaintained at 50-55° C. for 19 hours. The column was heated using a HotPocket column heater (Thermo Hypersil-Keystone, Bellefonte, Pa., orequivalent). Upon cooling, methanol was purged through the column at 1μL/min flow rate for at least 5 hours at 35° C.

Example 7

A 1.0 min I.D.×150 mm L borosilicate glass lined steel column (SGE Inc.,Austin, Tex., or equivalent) was surface treated as described in Example1, with the exception that 6 mL aliquots of solvent was used in step(5). Pluronic® F38 (1.272 g) and urea (1.506 g) were weighed into aglass vial and dissolved into 15.0 mL of a 32 mM acetic acid solution.The mixture was deoxygenated by nitrogen gas purging for 5 minutesbefore 9 mg of Vazo® 64 were added. The mixture was stirred for 5minutes at room temperature, and then chilled to 0° C. for 23 min.

Next, 6 mL of silane mixture (4/1 TMOS:MAPTMOS v/v) was slowly addedinto the above mixture at 0° C. After silane addition, the mixture wasstirred at 0° C. for 1.5 h. The resulting mixture was delivered into theglass lined steel column. The column was then sealed at both ends usingtwo Waters stainless steel compression plugs. The sealed column was heldat room temperature for two hours after the mixed silanes were added tothe acetic acid mixture. The column was heated in a 65° C. oven for 2hours, and then transferred to a 125° C. oven and held for 18 hours. Thecolumn was then slowly cooled to room temperature.

The surfactant was removed from the monolith structure by prolongedmethanol purging using a HPLC pump (Mode) 515, Waters Corp, orequivalent). After methanol purging the column end-fittings and fitswere removed. Inspection of the monolith structure yielded no evidenceof monolith shrinkage, as observed by optical microscope (Model C-P-S,Nikon, Tokyo, Japan, or equivalent).

Example 8

Solutions of surfactant, urea, and silane in acetic acid were made asdescribed in Example 4, except Vazo® 44 was substituted for Vazo® 64.The resulting solutions were delivered into separate 150 μm×40 mm Lcapillary columns that were surface treated as described in Example 1.The columns were sealed, heated, and analyzed as described in Example 4,where the elevated temperature was 110° C. The specific amounts ofreagents used to prepare these products and the resultingcharacterization data are listed in Table 3.

Example 9

Pressure data on monolith columns were collected on non-surface modifiedand surface modified monoliths using the pressure transducer of an EldexMicroPro Syringe Pump (Eldex, Napa, Calif., or equivalent). Anequivalent particle diameter (apparent particle size) was obtained basedon the Kozeny-Carman equation. An interstitial porosity of 0.4 of theparticle packed column that would give the same permeability as themonolith bed was assumed. Solvent viscosities of solvent mixtures wereobtained based on the data of Colin et. al. [H. Colin, J. C. Diez-Masa,G. Guiochon, T. Czajkowska, I. Miedziak, J. Chromatogr., 167 (1978)41-65]. Solvent viscosities of neat solvents were obtained from Handbookof Chemistry and Physics OR CD-ROM (version 2002, Editor-in-chief D. R.Lide, Chapman & Hall/CRC).

Results of the determination of the equivalent particle size aresummarized in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Equivalent Particle Size [μm] in Selected Solvents Acetonitrile-Acetonitrile- Methylene Aceto- water water Product Methanol Chloridenitrile 55:45 (v/v) 40:60 (v/v) 3t  3 4 —  4 — 3u — 3 4  3  3 5b  4 — —— — 6b — — — —  4 5c 21 — — — — 6c — — — — 17 5d — — — 26 — 6d — — — —26

Example 10

The following example demonstrates the porosity of the hybridinorganic/organic materials and further characterizes the materialsusing chromatographic criteria, i.e., efficiency and tailing factor.

Experimental Conditions:

The experimental data was acquired using an Eldex MicroPro Syringe Pump(Eldex, Napa, Calif., or equivalent), a Valco internal sample injector(Valco Instruments Co. Inc., Houston, Tex., or equivalent) and a Waters2487 Dual λ absorbance detector equipped with a 250 nL capillary flowcell (Waters Corp., or equivalent). Data acquisition and determinationof chromatography parameters was performed using Millenium 32 software(Waters Corp., or equivalent). Acetonitrile and water was mixed in 40/60volume ratio. Thiourea, naphthalene and acenaphthene were used asanalytes. The pump was operated at volumetric flow rates between 0.25and 4.0 μL/min. Thiourea, naphthalene and acenaphthene were dissolved inacetonitrile-water 55:45 (v/v) mixture at 20, 100 and 400 μg/mlrespectively. The injection volume was 20 nL. UV detection was carriedout at 254 nm. The experiments were performed at ambient temperature(24° C.).

Experimental Protocol:

The columns were directly connected to the injector and to the inlet ofcapillary flow cell except 3u which was connected with 50 μm I.D. fusedsilica capillaries. Results of chromatography evaluation are summarizedin Table 5. Total porosity was calculated by dividing the elution volumeof non-retained compound (thiourea) by the total column volume.

TABLE 5 Flow USP USP Column Rate Test Capacity N/meter Trailing TotalNo. [μL/min] Solute Factor (half width) Factor Porosity 3u 0.25Naphthalene 3.76 12540 1.27 0.96 0.5 Naphthalene 3.47 11890 1.40 0.75Naphthalene 3.38 980 1.42 0.25 Acenaphthene 7.79 17550 1.21 0.5Acenaphthene 7.24 14450 1.32 0.75 Acenaphthene 7.06 12660 1.33 6b 0.25Naphthalene 4.55 42123 1.46 0.97 0.5 Naphthalene 4.69 45205 1.42 0.75Naphthalene 4.61 41095 1.35 1.0 Naphthalene 4.62 36986 1.34 0.25Acenaphthene 9.88 49315 1.20 0.5 Acenaphthene 10.18 52053 1.29 0.75Acenaphthene 9.88 45204 1.27 1.0 Acenaphthene 9.91 39041 1.25 6c 0.25Naphthalene 5.2 40650 1.24 0.92 0.5 Naphthalene 5.2 48260 1.28 1.0Naphthalene 4.9 43700 1.24 2.0 Naphthalene 5.0 30270 1.17 4.0Naphthalene 5.2 19207 1.14 0.25 Acenaphthene 11.44 56267 1.26 0.5Acenaphthene 11.4 63878 1.28 1.0 Acenaphthene 11.0 45397 1.23 2.0Acenaphthene 11.0 29550 1.16 4.0 Acenaphthene 11.4 19593 1.14

REFERENCES

-   ¹MacNair J. E., etc. Anal Chem. 1999, 71, 700-   ²Svec F., etc. Review J. Chromatography A, 2000, 887, 3-29-   ³Nakanishi K., Tanaka N. etc., J. High Resol. Chromatogr. 1998, Vol.    21, No. 8 p 477-479; Nakanishi K., Tanaka N. etc., J Chromatography    A 2002, 960, 85-96-   ⁴Nakanishi K., Tanaka N. etc., J. Chromatography A 2002, 961, 53-63-   ⁵Zare R. N. etc., Anal. Chem. 2001, 73, 3921-3926-   ⁶Zare R. N. etc. J. Chromatography A, 2002, 961, 45-51.-   ⁷Zare R. N. etc. US Patent Application 2002/0079257-   ⁸Nakanishi K. etc. WO 99/50654-   ⁹O. Prucker and J. Rühe, Macromolecules 1998, 31, 592-601-   ¹⁰O. Prucker and J. Rühe, Macromolecules 1998, 31, 602-613-   ¹¹Hanson et al., J. Chromat. A656 (1993) 369-380

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The entire contents of all patents, published patent applications andother references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated hereinin their entireties by reference.

EQUIVALENTS

Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain usingno more than routine experimentation, numerous equivalents to thespecific procedures described herein. Such equivalents were consideredto be within the scope of this invention and are covered by thefollowing claims. The contents of all references, issued patents, andpublished patent applications cited throughout this application arehereby incorporated by reference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A separations device comprising a) a surfacecapable of accepting a monolith material comprising a polymerizedscaffolding nanocomposite (PSN) material, said surface comprising ananchoring functionality and b) a hybrid inorganic/organic monolithcomprising a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN), wherein thenanocomposite contains a scaffolding functionality capable of chemicallyinteracting with the anchoring functionality on said surface, andwherein said hybrid organic/inorganic monolith is anchored to saidsurface by a chemical interaction between said scaffolding functionalityand anchoring functionality, wherein the hybrid inorganic/organicmonolith is prepared by a method comprising: a) forming a sol-gel by thereaction of two or more monomers within the chromatographic device; b)initiating a polymerization reaction; and c) allowing the monomers toreact through a polymerization sol-gel (PSG) reaction, thereby preparingthe hybrid inorganic/organic monolith; wherein the pore structure ofsaid hybrid inorganic/organic monolith is modified by including asurfactant or combination of different surfactants in said PSG reactionwherein the surfactant is removed from the monolith structure followingsaid PSG reaction, and wherein (a) the scaffolding functionality isselected from vinyl, acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide,styrene, divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, alkyne, and combinationsthereof, (b) wherein the anchoring functionality is selected from vinyl,acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, styrene,divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, alkyne, azo compounds, andcombinations thereof, or (c) both (a) and (b).
 2. The separations deviceof claim 1, wherein the chromatographic device is a containment vessel,a column, a capillary column, or a microfluidic channel having at leastone surface.
 3. The separations device of claim 2, wherein said deviceis a chromatographic column.
 4. The separations device of claim 3,wherein the chromatographic column has an inner diameter (I.D.) greaterthan 50 μm.
 5. The separations device of claim 1, wherein thescaffolding functionality is selected from vinyl, acrylate,methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, styrene, divinylbenzene,itaconate, fumarate, alkyne, and combinations thereof.
 6. Theseparations device of claim 1, wherein the anchoring functionality isselected from vinyl, acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide,styrene, divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, alkyne, azo compounds, andcombinations thereof.
 7. The separations device of claim 1, wherein theinorganic portion of the hybrid material is a material selected fromalumina, silica, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, and ceramic material.8. The separations device of claim 1, wherein the PSN is the product ofa reaction of an organosilane and an inorganic silane monomer.
 9. Theseparations device of claim 8, wherein said organosilane is anorganoalkoxysilane having the formula R²Si(OR¹)₃ or R⁶[Si(OR¹)₃]m whereR² is a styryl, vinyl, an acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide,methacrylamide, divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, substituted orunsubstituted C₁-C₁₈ alkenylene, alkynylene or arylene, or a combinationthereof; R¹ is a C₁-C₄ alkyl moiety; R⁶ is a substituted orunsubstituted C₁-C₁₈ alkenylene, alkynylene or arylene moiety bridgingtwo or more silicon atoms; and m is an integer greater than or equal totwo.
 10. The separations device of claim 8, wherein the organosilane is(3-methacryloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane.
 11. The separations device ofclaim 1, wherein said surfactant or combination of surfactants arenonionic surfactants.
 12. The separations device of claim 1, whereinsaid material has been surface modified by a surface modifier selectedfrom an organic group surface modifier, a silanol group surfacemodifier, a polymeric coating surface modifier, and combinationsthereof.
 13. A fused-silica capillary column comprising a) afused-silica capillary column having a cylindrical interior surfacecapable of accepting a monolith comprising a polymerized scaffoldingnanocomposite (PSN) material, said interior surface comprising ananchoring functionality, and b) a hybrid inorganic/organic monolithcomprising a polymerized scaffolding nanocomposite (PSN), wherein thenanocomposite contains a scaffolding functionality capable of chemicallyinteracting with the anchoring functionality on said surface, andwherein said hybrid organic/inorganic monolith is anchored to saidsurface by a chemical interaction between said scaffolding functionalityand anchoring functionality, wherein the hybrid inorganic/organicmonolith is prepared by a method comprising: a) forming a sol-gel by thereaction of two or more monomers within the chromatographic device; b)initiating a polymerization reaction; and c) allowing the monomers toreact through a polymerization sol-gel (PSG) reaction, thereby preparingthe hybrid inorganic/organic monolith; wherein the pore structure ofsaid hybrid inorganic/organic monolith is modified by including asurfactant or combination of different surfactants in said PSG reaction,wherein the surfactant is removed from the monolith structure followingsaid PSG reaction, and wherein (a) the scaffolding functionality isselected from vinyl, acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide,styrene, divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, alkyne, and combinationsthereof, (b) the anchoring functionality is selected from vinyl,acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, styrene,divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, alkyne, azo compounds, andcombinations thereof, or (c) both (a) and (b).
 14. The fused-silicacapillary column of claim 13, wherein the chromatographic column has aninner diameter (I.D.) greater than 50 μm.
 15. The fused-silica capillarycolumn of claim 13, wherein the scaffolding functionality is selectedfrom vinyl, acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, styrene,divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate, alkyne, and combinations thereof.16. The fused-silica capillary column of claim 13, wherein the anchoringfunctionality is selected from vinyl, acrylate, methacrylate,acrylamide, methacrylamide, styrene, divinylbenzene, itaconate,fumarate, alkyne, azo compounds, and combinations thereof.
 17. Thefused-silica capillary column of claim 13, wherein the inorganic portionof the hybrid material is a material selected from alumina, silica,titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, and ceramic material.
 18. Thefused-silica capillary column of claim 13, wherein the PSN is theproduct of a reaction of an organosilane and an inorganic silanemonomer.
 19. The fused-silica capillary column of claim 18, wherein saidorganosilane is an organoalkoxysilane having the formula R²Si(OR¹)₃ orR⁶[Si(OR¹)₃]m where R² is a styryl, vinyl, an acrylate, methacrylate,acrylamide, methacrylamide, divinylbenzene, itaconate, fumarate,substituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₁₈ alkenylene, alkynylene or arylene,or a combination thereof; R¹ is a C¹-C⁴ alkyl moiety; R⁶ is asubstituted or unsubstituted C₁-C₁₈ alkenylene, alkynylene or arylenemoiety bridging two or more silicon atoms; and m is an integer greaterthan or equal to two.
 20. The fused-silica capillary column of claim 18,wherein the organosilane is (3-methacryloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane.